Garda Vetting

The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 provide a statutory basis for the vetting of persons carrying out relevant work with children or vulnerable adults. The Act, commenced on 29th April 2016, also introduced electronic vetting (eVetting).

As part of Dublin City Volunteer Centre’s commitment to support volunteering we provide a Garda Vetting service for not-for-profit groups in the Dublin city area. The service is available for organisations that wish to vet persons but who do not have access to a Liaison Person within their own organisation.

Don’t Forget

To carry out a risk assessment of all the roles in your organisation, to help you assess whether the person being vetted can build up a relationship of trust with a child or vulnerable adult.

The Act requires you to carry out vetting before you engage an employee or volunteer (however you can engage them in non-relevant work).

Vetting subjects need to be vetted for each individual role that they take up with an organisation, where vetting is required.

Vetting disclosures must be made available to vetting subjects; therefore you must retain a copy of the disclosure for the length of time that the volunteer or employee is with you.

You must check, verify and keep proof of the vetting subjects’ identity on file.

As set out in the Act – all youth leaders, coaches, trainers, religious leaders who work with groups of children, whether alone or accompanied by another adult, must be vetted.

For the purposes of the Act, a child is someone under the age of 18.

Who needs to be vetted?

Any person who is carrying out work or activity, a necessary and regular part of which consists mainly of the person having access to, or contact with, children (under 18’s) or vulnerable adults. A relevant organisation shall not permit any person to undertake relevant work or activities on behalf of the organisation unless the organisation receives a vetting disclosure from the National Vetting Bureau in respect of that person. A person who contravenes this section shall be guilty of an offence.

What is Relevant Work or Activities?

Any work or activities, which is carried out by a person, a necessary and regular part of which consists mainly of the person having access to, or contact with children or vulnerable persons.

The work or activities where people working with children and vulnerable adult will require vetting include:

Childcare services – see also below

Schools

Hospitals and health services

Residential services or accommodation for children or vulnerable persons

Treatment, therapy or counselling services for children or vulnerable persons

Provision of leisure, sporting or physical activities to children or vulnerable persons

a) is suffering from a disorder of the mind, whether as a result of mental illness or dementia,

b) has an intellectual disability,

c) Is suffering from a physical impairment, whether as a result of injury, illness or age or

d) has a physical disability.

Which is of such a nature or degree:

i. As to restrict the capacity of the person to guard himself or herself against harm by another person, or

ii. That results in the person requiring assistance with the activities of daily living including dressing, eating, walking, washing and bathing.

Who are the Registered and Relevant Bodies?

Dublin City Volunteer Centre is a Registered Organisation with the National Vetting Bureau. Our Liaison Persons work directly with the Bureau and can receive and pass on vetting disclosures to Affiliates/Relevant Bodies (the organisations that we vet on behalf of). Each affiliate appoints a Garda Vetting Officer to work with the Volunteer Centre in relation to vetting.

Information about our vetting service

If you would like to find out more or ask about signing up for our service please email vetting@volunteerdublincity.ie or phone 01 473 7482. You will need to register with the Centre, attend a training session and sign a Service Level Agreement before we can vet for you. During your training you will receive all the necessary information and forms to guide you through the process. The administrative fee is €7.50-€15 per form, depending on the type of organisation.

The cost of attending a training session is €20 for up to two people from an organisation. If your organisation proceeds to sign up for the vetting service a €50 sign up-fee will apply (if your organisation signs up within three months of attending the workshop the €20 training fee will be deducted from the sign up fee i.e. signing up will only cost €30).

How long does it take for vetting forms to be processed?

Since the introduction of electronic vetting (eVetting) it takes approximately one to two weeks for the forms to be processed by the National Vetting Bureau.